Also, there’s the Massachusetts Senate seat that has been kept in the Kennedy family through Joe, Jack, and Ted (with a family retainer holding it for one term until Ted was old enough). IIRC, now another family retainer is holding it for the next generation.

You’re right about Jack and Ted, but Joe Kennedy (I assume you’re talking about Joe Kennedy Sr) never was a Senator.

Why does practically every post end up referencing Obama?

Northern Dave: Amen. The 20th Century teaches clearly Communism simply does not work.

Well, if you’re going to be pedantic, the 20th century only teaches that Communism has never worked. If you want proof that Communism does not work, full stop, you need to combine the empirical data with a theory, like Hayek (1945), ‘The Use of Knowledge in Society’, American Economic Review, Vol. 35, No. 4, p. 519-530.

markm: Even the Adamses didn’t go that far — and the population of possible competitors was much thinner for them than for the Bushes or Kennedys.

On what basis do you say that? Surely the founding-era US was much more oligarchical than in the present day? Only a minority of the people had the right to vote, senate seats were awarded by state legislatures, etc.

Even the Adamses didn’t go that far – and the population of possible competitors was much thinner for them than for the Bushes or Kennedys.

John Moore: I find the comparison odd… which USSR are we comparing with? Post-Stalin? Stalinist? How about a comparison with Mao’s China during the Cultural Revolution — that was pretty awful. Pol Pot’s Cambodia? It isn’t hard to find horrible Communist regimes. It is impossible to find any that were not at least awful.

Amen. The 20th Century teaches clearly Communism simply does not work.

Martinned: Why is this news? North Korea has all the fun of communism, combined with the additional fun of confuscianism. Of course they’re going to be worse than each of these separately. Czarist Russia, for all its totalitarian flaws, was still in some sense a European country, at least from the time of Pushkin onwards. (Actually, that’s one of the things about Russia I’ve yet to figure out: how European they really are.)

I think of Russians as if they are the child of East and West. My children are a fusion of my wife and myself and with ever shimmering flavours of ourselves and our parents and grandparents. From moment to moment reflecting their different heritage in different aspects of their lives. I think Europeans ought to look at Russians as cousins they can work shoulder to shoulder with into the future yet who live in separate dwellings to allow for the privacy to accomodate their differences (and to retreat into when time to cool off becomes necessary).

It isn’t hard to find horrible Communist regimes. It is impossible to find any that were not at least awful.

So its restriction in the DPRK is more interesting than might otherwise appear. My own personal discussions about the communism of the DPRK with Chinese and Cubans who had dealings with that country is some of the most horrifying anecdotal information I have encountered. North Korean students in Cuba were not allowed to speak or interact with anyone other than each othe and their section leader, even in class, though they were in Cuba in order to learn Spanish. Chinese I know whose families occupied party or technical posts that brought them into contact with the DPRK, always described the place with horror. With stories of midnight expulsions of even senior PRC officials and the disturbing commonplace that Chinese experts who went to North Korea always came back having lost considerable weight, even in the 1970s and 80s.

Scarlet is a fantastic model of Confucian filial piety as actually culturally practiced in a Confucian society, as opposed to the theoretical. Every action of hers is based on securing her families survival and in defense of the patriarchal order. These are things that even most Maoists completely apprived.

Which seems more like a dynasty to you?

Adams.

Fub: As was arguably Romania under Ceauşescu. And Mongo under Ming.

Ceauşescu had everyone fooled including Nixon and Kissinger. Other the hand, Ming… well, I know how do deal with him.

Adams comes earlier still.

Though the Bush Dynasty (if you want to call it that) is comprised of exactly four politicians (Senator Prescott Bush of Connecticut, the two Presidents Bush, and Governor Jeb Bush of Florida). Additionally, I don’t think that the fact that GHWB’s father was a Senator from Connecticut impressed that many people in either Texas or Florida.

The Kennedy Dynasty (if you want to call it that) is comprised of the father, Joseph Kennedy, three sons who were U.S. Senators (John, Bobby, and Ted), one of whom became President, two grandsons who were members of Congress (Joseph and Patrick) and that does not count those who ran and lost, such as Mark Shriver), a son-in-law on a national ticket (Sargent Shriver) and a grandson-in-law who is currently Governor of California (Arnold).

Which seems more like a dynasty to you?

Remarkable that “Kennedy” was the first name to occur to you. “Bush” comes so much earlier in the alphabetical ordering.

pireader: There’s something odd about calling a hereditary monarchy “communist”.*

Theoretically, perhaps. However, any government run by a minority tends to be hereditary, if only because children of the elite get elite educations and have elite connections. See: “Kennedy.”

Fub says:

A. Zarkov: Albania under Hoxha was a worse dictatorship than the USSR.

As was arguably Romania under Ceauşescu. And Mongo under Ming.

Perhaps. But then how do you explain the awesome power of Mongo, which gave him the ability to drop a horse with but a single right to the jaw?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-hyVzTVDLg&feature=response_watch

Nathan: Right, because you wouldn’t be free to emigrate from Somalia like you would North Korea.Oh wait….

Or to defend yourself. Oh, wait….

public_defender: The only thing worse might be to live in a libertarian paradise like, say, Somalia.

Right, because you wouldn’t be free to emigrate from Somalia like you would North Korea.

Oh wait….

A. Zarkov: Albania under Hoxha was a worse dictatorship than the USSR.

As was arguably Romania under Ceauşescu. And Mongo under Ming.

Ted: Does anyone know if there will be North Koreans in South Africa to support their team? If so, I hope to meet some of them.

All I know is that the matches will only be broadcast on North Korean TV if their team win. (I’m not sure if the story below means “win the whole tournament”, or only “win the match”. Not that it matters, since either is quite unlikely.)

Kim Jong-il bans World Cup coverage – unless North Korea win

Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, has banned the World Cup from being shown in his country – unless they win.

By Ben Leach
Published: 6:40AM GMT 25 Nov 2009

The Supreme Leader has ordered state-run television not to broadcast live games, and to only screen highlights of North Korea’s victories.

The ruling means that 99 per cent of the country’s 29 million population will not be able to find out who wins the competition unless the 350-1, outsiders win it.

Games between other nations will be banned from the airwaves, while any highlights of North Korea’s matches will be heavily edited to ensure that they look like the better team.

All advertising in the stadiums will also be blurred out – along with opposition fans, The Sun newspaper reported.

Mike Breen, author of highly-respected book Kim Jong-il: North Korea’s Dear Leader, said: “Like everything else there, the regime will have complete control over the World Cup.

“North Korea will not pay for the TV rights, which means they will not be able to screen live games on state television. They are more likely to get footage from South Korea and then it will be heavily edited to suit the regime.

“Only the ruling elite with access to other satellite channels will be able to watch games involving other countries.

“The majority of the population will have to make do with very one-sided highlights packages hours, and possibly even days, after the game. Any loss will either be ignored or given the smallest of mentions.

“Once North Korea are knocked out, I would be amazed if there were any mention of the World Cup at all.”

It is the first time that North Korea has qualified for the World Cup in 44 years.

The last time they qualified was in England in 1966 when they pulled off one of the biggest shocks by beating Italy 1-0 to reach the quarter finals.

What did #2 at 2:38am hit? 11?

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Aquariums-of-Pyongyang/Chol-Hwan-Kang/e/9780465011049

100 million and counting murdered and billions of lives wasted by those who believe we can perfect mankind if only enough coercion is used.

A. Zarkov: Albania under Hoxha was a worse dictatorship than the USSR.

I guess the good news is that Albania seems to be shaking off the Hohxa Era. Hopefully, once North Korea collapse (I believe it is a matter of when, not if) a united Korea can shake off the Kim Era in the North.

dwight: Evidence from a defector is a little like evidence from a disgruntled ex-employee or dumped ex-lover.

You’re right. Why don’t we interview a representative sample of North Koreans instead?

Ohh, that’s right, because they’re locked up in the most repressive tyranny in Earth’s history.

*Same problem with Cuba, which has apparently become a family fief of the Castro Ruz clan.